Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

With you gazza. Couldn't see the point in wasting water (one of the main benifits of AP), just pulled the gravel away from the middle and then let the lot go. Bit of muck in the bottom of the tank settled out pretty quickly, sucked out the gung with a siphon.

I've learned a trick really quickly with expanded clay. My wife and I washed a 45 lt bag took about an hour at the kitchen sink one 3" net pot at a time. Filled my FD bed and the first cycle turned my tank almost a muddy murky brown. Also learned I needed to wash another 25 lt to make it stop the floating.

New trick I do large plastic Rubbermaid tub like the ones from Wally World after Christmas a bag of rocks soaked in water over night then strained seems to really work much better.

As for the dirty water another trip to the Home Depot and we built a filter:)

Good luck


~Jtk07